Bills Beat Blog

Bills Beat Blog: July 20, 2011

by Joe Buscaglia,posted Jul 20 2011 11:38AM

The Bills and the rest of the NFL seem to be heading toward and end to the lockout, and that affects a couple of stories I wanted to get to you today:

Former Buffalo Sabres owner Tom Golisano kinda sorta reiterated that he'd be willing to try and see what he can do to help if the Bills are ever in jeopardy on WWBT in Richmond, Virginia."Well, I'm concerned about the Buffalo Bills ever leaving the community of Buffalo. I think it would be a terrible shame. And I've made sort of [a] commitment that if that likelihood appears to be happening, I will try to get involved and see what I can do to prevent it."- Golisano uses a grand total of four qualifying words in that final sentence to be fairly careful of what he's really saying. I think this is really a non-story to be honest with you. Ralph Wilson not putting the team up for sale mixed with a Golisano answer that really didn't commit to anything, this is just making something out of nothing. But it's nice to know that if the Bills ever do get in trouble, that Golisano will sort of commit to try to get involved and see what he could do to prevent it. That's sarcasm, if it wasn't clear.

The Buffalo Bills are the focal point of Mike Florio on today's version of PFTLive. He and NBC News reporter Luke Russert will recall the worst moments in Bills history since 1987.- Florio writes in his blurb: "Tune in at 12:00 p.m. ET for all the fun. Unless you’re a Bills fan." Yes, some are crippling reminders that the team hasn't been all that good. Howard Simon and I recalled many of the memories that could come up. Wide Right, Music City Miracle, the release of Bill Polian, losing to the Steelers backups with the playoffs on the line in 2004, the Cleveland 6-3 game, the Monday night game against New England where Leodis McKelvin fumbled. In short, yes, there has been plenty of heartbreak in Buffalo. Music City Miracle is by far the worst in my book followed by Wide Right, but my number three is a little outside the box. It doesn't even involve a game where the Bills were playing. To me, when Mo Lewis knocked Drew Bledsoe out of the game way back when, it triggered much of the depression that we have seen recently with the Bills. If that never happened, Tom Brady wouldn't have been Tom Brady, the Patriots wouldn't have traded Bledsoe to the Bills for a first round pick, Bledsoe and the Bills wouldn't have choked in 2004 with a playoff spot on the line, the Bills wouldn't have thought they were close and only a quarterback away and JP Losman wouldn't have happened, then the Trent Edwards experiment wouldn't have happened. It's a trickle down effect that cannot be ignored.

The results of the Bills Beat Blog Poll are in. To the question "Should the Buffalo Bills re-sign Paul Posluszny?" Here were the results:54% said, 'Yes, but don't break the bank for this guy. I like Kelvin Sheppard.'
30% more emphatically said, 'YES! Why create another hole on defense?'
and 16% disapprovingly remarked, 'No way. He's overrated and weak in pass coverage.'- Posluszny needs to be a member of the Bills next season. You don't take steps forward as a defense by getting rid of slightly above average players for rookies and players past their prime. Posluszny has his deficiencies, but all in all is dependable as a linebacker. That is, until he gets lost in coverage again.